Born in
Granville, New York, Hopkins attended the common schools as a child and later became a
telegraph operator.
Early political career He moved to
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and then to
Madison, Wisconsin, in 1849, and served as a private secretary to
Governor Coles Bashford in 1856 and 1857. He was exonerated of involvement in the
Bashford railroad scandal in 1860. He was a member of the Wisconsin Senate in 1862 and 1863 and served in the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1866.
Congress Hopkins was elected a
Republican to the
United States House of Representatives in 1866 as part of the
40th United States Congress, representing
Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district. He was reelected to the
41st Congress and served from 1867 until his death. There, he served as chairman of the
Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds from 1869 to 1870.
Death and burial He died in
Madison, Wisconsin, on January 1, 1870, following an attack of paralysis. He was interred in
Forest Hill Cemetery in
Madison, Wisconsin. His death created a vacancy in congress that was filled by
David Atwood for the remainder of the 41st Congress. ==See also==